Purchasing & Inventory Specialist

Join Our Team Educators Resource is a leading national wholesale distributor of educational, office, and fine art supplies serving schools, retailers, and institutions across the United States. For nearly 50 years, we have built our reputation on exceptional service, operational excellence, and strong relationships with our customers and vendor partners. We are looking for a Purchasing & Inventory Specialist to help ensure we have the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time. This role combines purchasing, inventory management, vendor coordination, and supply and demand planning to support product availability while maintaining appropriate inventory levels. The ideal candidate brings relevant purchasing or inventory experience, good organizational and problem-solving skills, an aptitude for working with data, and a willingness to learn. We value individuals who demonstrate initiative, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach to their work. Location: Semmes, Alabama Schedule: Full-time | Non-Exempt | Day Shift The Role As a Purchasing & Inventory Specialist, you will report to the Purchasing Supervisor and manage purchasing and inventory activities for assigned product lines. You will work closely with vendors and internal teams to anticipate inventory needs, maintain appropriate stock levels, and address supply issues before they impact our customers. Using sales history, inventory levels, supplier lead times, seasonal trends, and our company's materials management system, you will evaluate inventory needs, make purchasing decisions, place purchase orders, and monitor inventory performance. Your work will contribute to balancing product availability with responsible inventory investment. You'll also partner with Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Finance, Distribution, and Purchasing to communicate supply concerns, resolve issues, and improve purchasing and inventory processes. As you become proficient in our systems and business operations, there will be opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and contribute more broadly to the department's success. What You'll Do Your primary focus will be purchasing inventory and maintaining appropriate stock levels to support customer demand. This includes reviewing sales and inventory data, determining replenishment needs, placing and managing purchase orders, and monitoring inventory across multiple warehouse locations. You'll maintain inventory planning parameters, including reorder points, lead times, safety stock, minimums, and maximums. You'll also monitor product performance, identify slow-moving or excess inventory, and recommend adjustments to improve inventory turnover and manage inventory investment. You'll develop strong vendor relationships, monitor supplier performance, and follow up on open orders to resolve shortages, back-orders, shipping delays, order discrepancies, and other supply issues. Just as importantly, you'll communicate potential supply concerns to internal teams, prepare purchasing and inventory reports, and work collaboratively to find solutions that support our customers and business objectives. What We're Looking For We're looking for someone who is analytical, organized, dependable, and comfortable interpreting purchasing, sales, and inventory data to support sound business decisions. You should be able to manage multiple priorities, communicate effectively with vendors and coworkers, and demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment. One to three years of experience in purchasing, inventory management, or a related inventory-driven environment is preferred. Experience in wholesale distribution is a plus. An associate's degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or a related field is preferred, although relevant experience may be substituted for formal education. Candidates should have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, with the ability to organize and review purchasing and in…

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